Advances in our knowledge of basic biological mechanisms coupled with progress in translational research have increased our understanding of human disease and improved the care of patients and populations. Yet, challenges inherent in university settings have continued to impede the clinical and translational research enterprise. These challenges include a widening gap between clinicians and scientists, which hampers clinical and translational research education, and physical and conceptual isolation of researchers and research groups, which hampers multidisciplinary collaborations on clinical trials and health services translational research. [unreadable] [unreadable] To overcome these challenges and cope with the increasing complexities of clinical and translational research, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has undertaken a series of initiatives aimed at synergizing existing clinical and translational research programs and revamping the institutional research endeavor. To that end, UAMS has initiated a planning process that unites all its Colleges and its Graduate School, to form the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (ICTS). The vision for the institute is to forge a uniquely transformative, integrative, and innovative academic home for clinical and translational science. The proposed planning grant will help establish the ICTS and prepare for the submission of a U54 application. Four goals are set for the planning process and will be tackled using strategic planning: 1) Begin transforming the educational infrastructure to train and mentor clinical and translational scientists. 2) Examine existing research programs and collaborative networks and develop dynamic plans to improve synergy among them. 3) Explore innovative technologies that serve the current and future needs of clinical and translational investigators. 4) Devise an administrative framework and a management plan to create a cohesive home for clinical and translational research. These goals are intended to begin the planning process and convey the vision to develop a full CTSA application. [unreadable] [unreadable] Through these goals, the ICTS will foster the formation of a cross-disciplinary, multi-faceted interface [unreadable] among the laboratory bench, patient bedside, and wider community through an interactive network of [unreadable] scientists. It will also facilitate training of future clinical and translational investigators across the health [unreadable] sciences and forge strategic collaborations among researchers, community clinicians, clinical research [unreadable] networks, professional societies, industry, and policy makers to facilitate the development of innovative [unreadable] research, increase the responsiveness and efficiency of translational research, and catalyze the application of new knowledge and techniques to clinical practice at the front lines of patient care. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]